Important Information about Charter Telephone 911 Services & Battery Back-up

To help you quickly respond to emergencies, Charter provides emergency 911 services much like traditional telephone companies. Should you ever need to access emergency services (fire, police, or ambulance) just dial the familiar digits "9-1-1," using your Charter Telephone Service. Your call will be routed directly to the nearest public-safety operator, who will dispatch the appropriate services. With Enhanced 911, emergency services will be able to quickly find you – your telephone number and address are electronically routed to the operator the moment your call goes through.

Charter Telephone provides your home with telephone service using a Multimedia Terminal Adaptor (MTA), or a telephone modem, that requires electrical power in your home. As is the case with cordless phones, your Charter Telephone equipment will not work in the event of a power outage, and you will not be able to make or receive calls, including 911 calls, unless at the time of ordering service you chose to have a battery-slotted MTA installed and have purchased and installed a battery into the appropriate slot in the MTA. In a power outage, a cordless telephone, and other equipment connected to the telephone line that requires electricity, such as telecommunications devices used to assist with disabilities, will not work unless they have a battery that allows them to function for a period of time without electricity to your residence.  You are responsible for providing and installing batteries for your cordless telephone and other telecommunications devices and to ensure that they operate during a power outage.

You are also responsible for the purchase of the MTA backup battery for which you will be assessed a one-time charge at the time of order entry.  If you would like to order an initial backup battery or extra backup batteries, or if you would like to upgrade your MTA to a model that includes a slot for a backup battery, you should contact Charter Customer Care at 1-855-757-7328. 

The backup battery is designed only to power your MTA to enable calling, including 911 calling, for up to eight hours of standby time and approximately five hours of talk time, in the event of a power outage.

You are also responsible for monitoring the status of the back-up battery and for ensuring that the battery is charging normally.  Please note the following battery status light conditions after the unit has been connected and powered:

• If the status light is green and flashing, this denotes that the installed battery is taking a charge. This is the unit's normal operating mode upon being newly installed.
• A steady green light represents a fully charged battery; this typically takes a few hours after initial power-up.
• Amber light signifies that the battery is discharging or not able to charge.  If the unit displays an amber light, the battery should be replaced.

The lithium-ion backup battery  generally provides 6 to 10 years of service life.  The back-up battery can safely be stored within the following temperature range: °F -4 to 140/(°C -20 to 60).  However it is important to note that storage of back-up batteries above 77°F (25°C) will significantly reduce life of the battery and is not recommended.

Whenever commercial power or its equivalent is required to operate services of facilities provided by the Company at the customer's premises, the customer shall:  furnish such power which shall be suitable for the purpose;  provide and maintain all necessary power wiring and power outlets in a suitable location and in a safe fashion; and allow the Company access to the power supply, if necessary. In the event of a power failure, no allowance is made for interruption of service and the Company shall not be held liable for such an interruption of service.  Nor shall the company be liable for any property damage or personal injury, or any other alleged damage or injury, caused by any customer-provided power supply, wiring, or power outlet.